Being Werewolves: Sam Huntington and Kristen Hager

Being Human Interview with Sam Huntington And Kristen Hager

So it’s been a crazy ride on Being Human so far this season, right? The series has plopped us head first into the insanity that are the lives of vampire Aidan, ghost Sally and werewolves Josh and Nora. So what’s it like to be hairy beasts once a month? I asked series stars (and werewolves Josh and Nora) Sam Huntington and Kristen Hager all about it.

First off, I would like to mention that Hager has been moved up from guest star to series regular in Being Human. In fact, this season, Hager herself feels that she’s taken on the role Huntington has played in previous seasons as the werewolf-in-residence. With Huntington’s character now being cured, it’s up to Hager to pick up the mantle.

But Huntington feels that also creates conflict for Josh. “The character [Josh] becomes increasingly more and more feeling like he’s left out and I was oddly feeling the same way as an actor,” he said. “My wonderful co-stars get to do this fun stuff and now I’m, you know, looking in through the window like the ghost of Christmas past.” Obviously, though, as the series depends on Josh as a werewolf, we have to assume that the situation is temporary.

The addition of Hager to the permanent cast list of Being Human also means that Nora gets to move into the house. Are things starting to get a little crowded with an extra werewolf running around? Hager discussed that: “I feel that what the audience will come to see is that Aidan and Nora have the hardest time with that dynamic because we had our moments in Season Two where we butted heads. And so that carried over into Season Three. So I think it’s safe to say that there’ll be a few conflicting moments between Nora and Aidan this season.”

Huntington, however, couldn’t be as serious. ” I was just bummed out that Nora didn’t redecorate Josh and Nora’s room,” he joked. “This place – we could just have a paint job and maybe some new sheets. It’s, like, still the same shithole. But – dead frogs and teeth on the walls and just the weirdest… It’s, like, a room from the movie Seven.”

To follow up on a question I previously asked Sam Witwer, I had to approach the subject of vampires vs. werewolves on Being Human. Witwer’s remarks were generally along the lines that werewolves have it easier. So what did Huntington think of that? ” I think Witwer is full of shit, man,” he stated. He did attempt to explain why, though. “Aidan does have it pretty rough just because he’s done so much damage in his past. So it’s his own damned fault.”

There is also the emotional torment that being a werewolf brings. Huntington said, “I think Josh tortures himself, you know, Josh hates what he is and that’s something that’s hard to live with.”

Hager agreed. “She [Nora] went through her phase where she absolutely loved it, and then by the end of Season Two, she’d seen the very, very dark side of what this new found aggression means and the consequences that come with that,” she said. “And so it scares her and by the end of Season Two, she’s very much questioning what this is and whether this is what she wanted and is really trying to grasp any sense of humanity that’s left inside of her.”

So to sum up: being a werewolf is hard. But it’s not just difficult for the characters. The actors, too, have to put up with quite a bit of abuse in the form of creature make-up. Huntington talked a little about that. “You have your chest piece, you have your back piece, which those are the real beasts, if you will,” he said. “Those are the real toughies because they take the longest to apply and then you have to paint them in. And then there’s a face application. And then you have your hands which, believe it or not, like, just the claws, they’re the easiest to apply but they’re perhaps the most annoying… It takes six, seven hours when you put it all on in stages. It’s pretty intense.”

But Huntington believes that all of the prosthetics and make-up help form the character and scene. “It’s not just performing,” he said. “it’s screaming and wailing and straining and, you know, acting like you’re in the most physical pain of your life and so that unto itself is exhausting and – but the good news is, the makeup is so uncomfortable that you – it’s really hard not to be aware of it. So it actually helps kind of get you there.”

Being a werewolf sounds kind of sucky, doesn’t it? But both Huntington and Hager still believe they have the best job in the world and enjoy every minute of it.

Don’t miss an all-new Being Human tonight on Syfy at 9/8c. And check out the clip below to see more of the downside of being a werewolf on Being Human (and having to tell someone that they’re about to become one – eep!).